Live updates:
Death toll climbs above 23,000
The death toll in Turkey following Monday’s earthquakes has climbed to 19,875, the country’s disaster management authority said.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that more than 77,700 people had been injured in the disaster.
The total number of fatalities in Syria stands at 3,377, meaning the combined number of deaths is more than 23,000.
27 UAE aid planes sent to Syria
The UAE has sent five aircraft carrying relief supplies, which arrived today in Türkiye and Syria, bringing the total to 27 aircraft sent so far under the ‘Gallant Knight/2’ operation, launched with the purpose of aiding earthquake-affected people in both countries.
To date, the UAE has sent a total of 17 aircraft to Turkey, with the two that arrived today. Meanwhile, the planes sent to Syria totaled 10, including the three planes that arrived today, which airlifted 107 metric tones of relief supplies, comprising 87 tones of food supplies, 20 tones of medical supplies and 432 tents.
Syria says it will allow aid into rebel-held areas
Syria’s seismic shock hasn’t broken the entrenched enmities and obstacles which have always obstructed urgent humanitarian action in a country ravaged by war.
But five days after a deadly earthquake struck, there’s a small crack which may widen the spaces for urgent humanitarian action.
State media today reported that the Syrian cabinet has given the go-ahead for the delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of the country, including from areas controlled by the state to areas outside of state control.
Glimmer of hope amid deaths as 9 children rescued on day five
On the fifth day after a significant earthquake slammed Türkiye and neighbouring Syria, the rescue of little children has boosted the morale of weary crews looking for survivors.
At least nine children were rescued, videos released by disaster services showed.
The rescuers worked through the night amid the wreckage of many destroyed buildings, including specialised teams from several nations. They often asked for stillness while they listened for any sounds of life coming from broken concrete mounds in the frigid conditions.
The 7.8 magnitude quake struck 23 kilometres (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Türkiye’s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometres (14.9 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The natural disaster is one of the deadliest earthquakes in two decades.
